Refrigeration apparatus



June 24, 1930. w. A. INMAN ET AL 1,765,674

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Fil-ed March 13, 1923 2 sheets-sheet i @Mm/md June 24, 1930. w, A, INMAN El' AL REFRIGERATION APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 13, 1925 @and IParental June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE WALTER A. INMAN AND AVINL. BR'UMUND, 0F WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Application :filed March 13, 1923. Serial No. 624,817.

of an improved apparatus `and method uti-- lizing the atmospheric air as a cooling medium for producingiliquid ammonia within the condenser tubes',`finstead of employing a water jacket, bath or spray for the outside of the tubes, in order to cool and further condense the gas and restore it to and maintain it more or less in a liquid Aform.

The principal objects of the presentinvention are the provision of an improved refrigeration apparatus and method wherein either air at atmospheric pressure or under propulsion by a fan may be employed for cooling the refrigerating medium after compression subsequent to its expansion upon heat extraction during its refrigerating work, thus obviating the use of water and the direct and indirect operating and overheady costs involved therein; the provisiony of an improved form of air cooled condenser; the Rprovision of an improved form of injectoru'for fluids; the provision of an improved method of cooling refrigeration iiuids; the provisionof improved methods of operating refrigerating. machines; together withcertainfurther objects which may hereinafter appear or be p ointed out.

In attaining the objects hereinabove suggested and certain further benets and advantages to be below disclosed, we have provided the constructions shown in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 4 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view taken on the line 4m4 of F igure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to that of .Figure 2, illustrative of a modified form of construction, and

Figure 6 is aniunder plan view ofa portion of the modified device of Figurey 5.

Referringirst more particularly to Figure 1 of the drawing, it will be observed that wephaveindicated a conventional re-' frigeratdr including a coil 10 connected by means of'v a supply pipe 11 to the `v iuid' header or collector 12 of the'condenser shortly to be described, a regulating valvelbe` ing interposed in the pipe line 11.

The refrigeration coil is also connected by means of an exhaust pipe 14 to a motor driven compressor 15 which may be of the conventional type which serves as a pump and is connected by means of a discharge pipe 16 with'the fluid injector 17, shortly to be described.

The injector 17 is connected by a suitable coupling indicated at 18 with the fluid header 12 and is also connected by a pipe 19 with the spray header 20 of the condenser, thus completing the pipe circuit.

The compressor 15 is also connected b means of a discharge pipe 19a with sai header 20, thus forming an alternative means for completing the pipe-circuit and around the injector17 and thus introducing the compressed ammonia gas directly intothe header 20, or alternately, prop0rtioning`fthelow of such gas through the pipes 16 and 19,' controlling valves are placed in the pipe 16, as indicated at'l7 and in the pipe 19a as indicated at 19.

.To insure aconstant supply of liquid to the injector 17 when it is open and in operecA ative position, the pipe 11 preferably has an l upward extension 11a:

In order, however, that the fluidheader 12 may be drained at will and also that a complete circulation may be attained when the injector 17 is closed, a second connection l11b, controlledby a valve 11, isv provided .between the fluid header 12 and the coil '10 of the refrigerator. j E t l, .j

It will be appreciated that bythe arrangement just described, upon suitable manipulation of the controlling valve, all of thel gas from the compressor 15 may be conducted to the injector 17 and thence to the spray header 20, after takingup fluid from the header 12, or it may be conducted directly to the header 20, yor it may be divided between the said two pipe circuits in such proportions as may be desired.

A conventional purge valve for the pipe line is indicated at 21.

The spray header 20 and the fluid header 12 are connected by cooling pipes 22, which, as will be seen oncompar-ison of Figures 1 and 2, are arranged in a plurality of series and are each provided with heat radiation fins 23.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, wherein we have illustrated our improved fiuid injector, it will be observed that in the preferred form shown, this includes a casing having a plurality of chambers 26 and 27 connected respectively with the compressor 15 and the fluid header 12.

The casing is also provided with a variable A hollow nozzle 28 having threaded engagement with the casing between the chambers 25 and 27 as indicated at 29, the said nozzle being susceptible of advancement and retraction by means of the stem 30 which may be rotated by the handwheel 31. As the injector is subject to fluid under pressure and as the material commonly employed is volatile we prefer to provide the stem 30 with a stufiing boX as indicated at 32.

In order that the ratio between the jet of fluid under pressure emitted from the orifice 33 of the nozzle may be accurately varied with relation to the fluid coming from the fluid header 12 through the pipe 18, the nozzle 28 is given a tapered form as indicated at 34 and the adjacent part of the casing is complementarily tapered as indicated at 35.

Reverting again to Figure 2 of the drawing it will be observed that in the form of condenser here shown the pipes 22 are swedged into the cylindrical headers 20 and 12, which may be formed of sheet metal. In the modified form of device of Figures 5 and 6, however, the headers 2Oa and 12a may be castings having integral projections of generally T form whose branches are indicated at 36, 37 38, and at 39, 40, 41 respectively, which permits the use of readily replaceable finned pipe members 22a by the employment of suitable pipe elbows and unions indicated generally at 42 and 43.

In the operation of our improved refrigeration apparatus according to our improved method, the regulating valve 13 having been sufliciently opened, refrigerating fluid from the fluid header 12 of the condenser is conveyed by means of the pipe 11 to the coil of the refrigerator 19 for purposes of refrigeration. After the refrigerating fluid has performed its work in the coil 10, it moves through the pipe 14 to the compressor 15, whence it flows through the pipe 16 either to the injector 17,. or directly to the header 20 of the condenser, or both. Any gas that passes under pressure through the orifice 33 of the' nozzle 28 of the injector 17 meets the stream of `liquid descending through the pipe 18 from the fluid header l2 and breaks it up into spray, causing it to ascend through the pipe 19 to the spray header- 20 of theV condenser. From` the header 2O the spray and gas descends through the several cooler pipes 22, giving ofi' its heat rapidly in view of its subdivided form and the multiplicity of the pipes, the radiation of the heat being accelerated by the increased effective area given the pipes 2,2 by the employment of the fins 23. From the linned pipes 22 the cooled and condensed fluid is deposited in the fluid header 12 largely in liquid form, and the cycle just described is repeated. Circulation of the fluid is "insured not alone by the action of the compressor 15 which serves as a pump to withdraw spent fluid from the coil 10 and compress and eject it, but also by the pressure of that certain amount of gas which more or less generally overlies lthe liquid in the fluid header 12.

Among the manifold advantages of our improved-refrigeration apparatus and methods are the reduced initial and maintenance cost of the apparatus due to the fact that shorter lengths of pipe may be used than is requisite where water jackets, sprays or baths are employed, that cooling towers for lowering the temperature of the condensing water are not required, that the apparatus may be installed and operated in a much smaller space than has heretofore been requisite, that the initial cost of the cooling water and the continued cost of pumping the same,

' as well as that of repair and maintenance of ditions where the cost of installing and'operating plants employing water as a cooling agent is prohibitive.

Having thus described our invention and illustrated its use, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'water, consumptionand other economic conf 1. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a condenser lncluding a iiuid collector, a cooling element communicating therewith, means for comminuting fluid and delivering it to the said cooling element in the form of a spray including an injector having a connection to said fluid collector, a refrigerator, a compressor, a connection from said compressor to said injector and a connection from; said com ressor directly to saidv cooling element an a plurality of connections between said refrigerator and said collector, one of said connections being disposed on a different level from that of another thereof.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a condenser including a Huid collector, a cooling element communicating therewith, means for comminuting iuid and delivering it to the said cooling element in the form of a spray including an injector having a fluid drainage connection. to said fluid collector, a refrigerator, a compressor, a connection from said com ressor to said injector and a connection rom said compressor directly to said cooling element, a fluid discharge connection from. said Huid collector to said refrigerator and means for varying the point of discharge of fluid from said collector to said refrigerator.

3. In a refrigeration apparatus, in combination, a compressor, a header, an injector between said compressor and header, a cooling element communicating with said injector, and a regulable connection at a different level from said injector for establishing communication between said compressor and header through a major portion of said cooling element, a connection from said header receiving overflow liquid therefrom for supply of liquid to the refrigerator and thence to said injector,.and a draining by-pass connection for said header around said last named connection.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names. y

WALTER A. INMAN. ALBIN L. BRUMUND. 

